80 BRITISH MODES OF CULTIVATING 



the air of the house. But remember, I do not recom- 

 mend watering the Pine Apple plants all over their 

 leaves in winter as a general rule, only when it is 

 necessary to free the plants from insects and filth ; 

 then the heat in the house among the plants must 

 be kept strong, not lower than 70 in the morning, 

 and raised to 85 or 90 in the course of the day. 



It is indeed evident that some of the most able 

 writers on the culture of the Pine Apple have 

 wanted that experience which may by practice be 

 obtained. They have asserted, that it is impossible 

 to keep the Pine Apple plant throughout a severe 

 winter without the assistance of fire. But inge- 

 nious practical gardeners have ascertained, that Pine 

 Apple plants require nothing more than a gentle 

 heat in the tan bed, in which the pots of plants 

 must be plunged, and a medium heat of air of about 

 60 degrees, to keep them through the most severe 

 winters in England. To maintain this temperature 

 of heat without the assistance of fire, is no difficult 

 matter ; it can be done by the assistance of horse- 

 dung ; for a dry heat is not at all necessary to pre- 

 serve the plants, and to keep them in good health, 

 in the brick beds, in which I kept Succession Pines 

 all the year round without the aid of fire heat. The 

 sun for about two months in winter had very little 

 effect to warm or dry the leaves of the plants, so 

 that during the dull months in winter, the plants 

 were continually in a moist state, and water stand- 

 ing in the hearts of some of them, and the heat of 



